This month, on November 2, All Souls’ Day, the bishops of Wisconsin issued the fourth edition of Now and at the Hour of our Death, a pastoral letter concerning Catholic teaching on death and dying, end-of-life issues, and the importance of funeral planning.
Tag: all souls day
Bishop, priests celebrate Mass for faithful departed on All Souls’ Day
On All Souls’ Day, November 2, everyone had a reason for being at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison.
The month that reminds us we are called to holiness
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During November, we celebrate the feasts of All Saints, All Souls, and Christ the King.
At the end of November, we also begin Advent, when we prayerfully, patiently await Christ’s birth.
All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day is a holy day which we celebrate on November 1. We honor those who have been canonized and whom the Church declares are in Heaven.
To be recognized as a canonized saint, the Church first makes a lengthy examination of the candidate to determine if he or she is a person of heroic virtue.
It’s important to affirm life at the time of death
As we approach the end of October observed as Respect Life Month and All Souls’ Day on November 2, our thoughts turn towards the end of life.
I think our society today avoids issues of suffering and death. Some say we live in a “death-defying and death-denying” society.
Denying death
As Jeffery A. Johnson says in an article called “Denial: The American Way of Death” (www.OrthodoxyToday.org), modern Americans seems to be “preoccupied with the preservation of youth and beauty.” He says that “society seems content to cling to the illusion that youth — and life — can last forever.”
Remembering the communion of saints
When we used to say the Apostles Creed at Mass (the Nicene Creed is now the norm), we said we believed in the “communion of saints.” For many of us, this was a phrase we recited so often that we didn’t really think about what it means.
As we prepare to celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2, it is an opportunity to consider how we are united with the living and the dead.
End of life: Deserves as much attention as the beginning
As we conclude the month of October — designated as Respect Life Month — it seems appropriate to reflect on end-of-life issues.
Doesn’t it seem that our society today pays much more attention to the beginning of life than the end of it? We get excited about the birth of a baby. We have baby showers, spend time getting the nursery decorated, and send out birth announcements when the baby is born. We buy cards and gifts for the new child.
November: time to reflect on communion of saints
We begin November by celebrating the feast of All Saints.
On All Saints Day, we remember and we honor both the canonized and non-canonized saints of the Catholic Church. Both invite and inspire us to imitate their Christ-like lives.
In No. 2013 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it says, “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.
“All are called to holiness: In order to reach this perfection, the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift so that doing the will of the Father in everything, they may whole heartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor.”
Exhibit in Princeton to remember the dead
Since November is a month dedicated to remembering the deceased, individuals are invited to build an altar honoring someone close to them who has died.